C000048

Round shaped, gold colored coin 2 inches in diameter.

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Coin Number 264 The 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment is a unit of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team (3rd BCT) of the 4th Infantry Division, United States Army. The battalion is currently garrisoned at Fort Carson, Colorado.

The 3/29th FA BN was deployed to Iraq in April 2003, as a part of the 4th Infantry Division invasion force. The battalion initially moved north into Kurdish controlled territory to establish a security presence in the area.

The Pacesetter battalion was soon ordered to move back south to support the ongoing operations to quell the insurgency in the vicinity of Samarra, with Bravo battery establishing a forward operating base (FOB) at the Samarra East Airfield. Its mission was to provide fires to coalition forces conducting sorties into Samarra, and to conduct patrols in the nearby towns and villages. Firebase Paladin was established to provide "calls-for-fire" support, and began providing operation forces with, initially, illumination fire. As the insurgent presence escalated, the battalion began conducting combat fires on reported enemy positions, as well as counter-battery fire to suppress mortar attacks on the FOB and surrounding area.